


But it's my birthday party

by MusicPlayer81



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, it's the found family for me, mother-daughter bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27321622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicPlayer81/pseuds/MusicPlayer81
Summary: It's Lieu's first birthday after joining the Beifong family, and she's hiding out in her bedroom away from the ruckus. Kya catches her when she's alone to give her a special present.
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	But it's my birthday party

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rosemallow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosemallow/gifts).



> Lieu belongs to a dear, dear friend of mine. This character, along with her relationship to Kya, can also be found in my story "You're my kid too, aren't you?" Both stories in general take place in what I call the Chenverse, after my OC Chen Beifong. If you're interested, please check out "A Study in Understanding," "Guess I'm Going with You," and more! Hope you enjoy, please read and review :)

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Lieu startled, looking up form her book to see Kya leaning against her bedroom’s doorway, the sounds of a party spilling into the room. “Wha—oh, sorry.”

The healer chuckled. “Don’t be. I was the one who snuck up on you, kid.” She gestured to the bed Lieu was sitting on. “Mind if I join you?”

Lieu tilted her head to the side. “The others won’t miss you?”

“Are you kidding? Bo and Korra have both challenged Lin to games of pai sho. They won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Lieu put down her book and patted the bed as invitation. Kya partially shut the door behind her, cutting riotous laughter into a staccato. “That doesn’t seem like a very good idea,” the metalbender commented.

Kya snorted, tucking her legs underneath her as she sat down on the bed in one fluid movement. She gently smoothed out the wrinkles on the bedspread. “That’s because it’s a terrible one. Lin’s one of the best players out there. Hopefully they didn’t bet money.”

An exaggerated groan and muttering drifted their way. Kya jokingly rolled her eyes. “Looks like I spoke too soon, hm?”

Lieu smiled softly and made to grab her book but pulled her hand back. She didn’t want to come off as rude, especially not to Kya. Kya peered curiously at the work, which featured gold-leaf flowers etched into brown leather. “That’s beautiful, Lieu. Is that new?”

The girl pinked slightly. “Thanks. Yeah, it is.” After a beat, she added, “Chen gave it to me. I have no idea where she got it from. It is really nice, huh?”

“Chen gave it to you?” Kya smiled. “That sounds about right.”

Lieu nodded, her lips turning upwards. She fell silent, tracing the flowers on the book cover. It really was beautiful. She had never seen such a book on any shelf—knowing Chen, she must have commissioned its creation. “I’m sorry I’m not with everyone else,” Lieu said, her finger following a stem. “I’ll join everyone—“

“When you’re good and ready,” Kya finished. She softened slightly, and pulled Lieu close to her side. She gently undid the wolf-tails in the girl’s hair. “You have nothing to apologize for, okay? Nothing.”

“But it’s my birthday party,” Lieu murmured, leaning into Kya’s touch as she ran a hand through her curly hair and began to braid it. “I should be there for it. I don’t want everyone to think I’m rude for being absent.”

“They won’t,” Kya assured her, finishing the braid. “Honestly? This is par for the course with Lin’s birthdays. We pull her out of her space for _just_ long enough for her to blow out her candles.”

“And no one minds?”

“Not at all. It’s Lin’s day—we let her do what she’s comfortable with and go from there. Frankly, we’re excited she even agreed to a get-together.” Kya secured Lieu’s hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. “There, I’m done.” She looked around for a full length mirror and brightened upon finding it. She gestured for Lieu to go towards it, positioning the girl front and center, Kya staying right behind her. “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Lieu breathed. Her curly hair, which she normally wrangled into wolf tails and nothing else, had been split into two braids and then braided back into one bun in a way that highlighted her bright green eyes. Kya had even left a few tendrils loose as a nod to her Fire Nation ancestry. She gently touched her hair, in awe. “Thank you.”

Kya smiled. “No, thank _you._ I have been dying to play with your hair.”

“You’re free to whenever you feel like it. I’m not one for fussing with it.”

The healer laughed. “Don’t think I won’t take you up on that. Raava, you’re just like Lin in that regard.” She massaged Lieu’s shoulder lightly. “I do have one thing that would pull this all together.”

Lieu tilted her head ever so carefully to the side. “Oh? How?”

Kya reached into her pocket and carefully pulled out a necklace. Abalone cut into a delicate crescent shape had been fitted into a deep purple ribbon. Kya rubbed the pendant and left it gleaming in the light. “It’s a tradition of sorts, in my family, for daughters to have a piece of jewelry that was their mother’s. It represents our bond. This necklace was mine before Lin and I married. Now I want it to be yours.”

Lieu’s eyes widened. “I—I couldn’t accept this. No, no—“ She took a deep breath. “I’m not Water Tribe.”

“No, you’re not.” Kya reached over and tied the necklace around Lieu’s neck. “But you are my daughter.”

Lieu covered her face. Kya immediately cradled her in her arms, stroking the girl’s back. “Ma,” Lieu sobbed. “Ma.”

“My sweet girl,” Kya soothed, hugging her tighter. “My sweet, brilliant, beautiful, metalbending girl.” She let her go and gently traced the outline of her daughter’s face, eventually cradling it in her hand. “You make me so happy. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Lieu leaned into Kya’s hand and grinned. “You make me really happy too, Mom.”

Kya beamed and moved to hug her again when a loud crash reverberated from down the hall. Lieu and Kya eyed each other. 

“Hey, Ma? You don’t think it was my other mom who did that…do you?” Lieu hedged.

Kya mischievously grinned and took her daughter’s hand. “Only one way to find out.”


End file.
